For patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection (CHB), serum mac-2-binding protein glycosylation isomer (M2BPGi) is a reliable marker for assessing liver fibrosis, according to results published in Clinical and Translational Gastroenterology.

M2BPGi presents a noninvasive alternative to the standard invasive liver biopsy for assessing liver fibrosis in CHB. Furthermore, M2BPGi appears to correlate well with histologic stages of liver fibrosis.

The study included participants with CBH treated with nucleos(t)ide analogues with baseline liver biopsies and retrievable serum samples (n=327). The researchers performed paired liver biopsies at 1 and 3 years.

The median M2BPGi values increased progressively with more advanced stages of liver fibrosis. The median M2BPGi was 0.26 in liver histology with Ishak F0-1, 0.34 for F2, 0.57 for F3, and 1.21 for F4 (P <.01).